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Finnish Game Jam, as part of Global Game Jam, is the big event we’ve all been waiting for! Global Game Jam happens all around the world during the weekend of 25-27 January 2019, and in Finland there are many jamming locations to choose from.

With only a couple of weeks to go there’s still plenty of time to join the fun! Registrations to the Finnish events is done in Eventbrite.

Finnish Game Jam has received a prestige art award in Finland. Suomi-palkinto (Finland Award) is an annual arts and culture recognition and was granted by our Minister for European Affairs, Culture and Sports, Sampo Terho. Suomi-palkinto has been awarded annually since 1993 and it can be granted as a recognition of an impactful career, remarkable achievement or promising initiative within the field of arts and culture.

“We have a lot of talent in Finland. Some of them work in groups, but many work alone. More and more of them have also gained international reputation. Creativity is born from individuals, which can be supported by the community and the surrounding society”, explains Minister Sampo Terho.

“This year we have wanted to honor remarkable artistic expertise with the Finland Award. Artists, who have been impacting the Finnish art scene for a long time. On the other hand, we have also wanted to recognize the new trends in the Finnish art and culture”, continues Terho.

Finnish Game Jam was recognized for our impact to the Finnish game making communities and as a unique organization also within the international landscape.

Finnish Game Jam would like to congratulate all the awarded artists and communities and thank everyone participating, collaborating and supporting our events!

As 2019 draws closer so does the main event of the year: Finnish Game Jam!

It is again time to get jamming with the rest of the planet. Finnish Game Jam 2019 is organized as part of the Global Game Jam that will be held throughout the entire world at the same time. Naturally Finland will participate, now for the 10th time!

We currently have 8 public locations confirmed in Finland: Helsinki, Turku, Vaasa, Kymenlaakso, Kajaani, Ylivieska, Kuopio and Turku. If your area is missing a site here is your chance to organize one yourself! Site applications can be made through Global Game Jam’s website. Site application is open until January 10th, but we recommend you act fast to be able to prepare for the jam.

If you have questions about organizing a site or need help feel free to contact us.

Games

A story of a land amidst change. The metamorphosis can truly be witnessed by those who have been there since the early days. By each turn of the century and through the light of innovation, the landscape becomes more than what it has been. But what is the nature of this change? This ambitious jam game creates a beautiful atmospheric flying adventure with a help of Leap motion controller and custom made pedal. In addition to technological feats, Rievssat takes the stressful theme of Sami people as strangers in their own land and makes the game into a universally appealing experience around the eight seasons.

The challenge of connecting people before the days of “Connecting people” is immediately clear in this story timed around the early ages of the telephone. It is up to the player to investigate who should be talking to whom in this simulation of a telephone center before the benefits of the internet, automation, or even FGJ. This game, not unlike a certain indie sensation about papers, engulfs the player with its charming audiovisual presentation, and provides the feeling of what it is to truly connect those in need. Switchboard Operator is surprisingly polished game for a 48h jam and pleases us as jam players on many aspects.

Remember the good old times when you couldn’t play games without a printed manual? Why not dive into that era in a game jam? The graphics and music of this Dark Souls of casual cooking games successfully capture the nostalgia of olden days. The effort to develop for old hardware is already worthy of a mention, as old consoles and their methods are gradually forgotten as technology goes forward. Double Cooked is a great example of how game jams can be used to explore what has been done before, but you just were not old enough back in the day to be part of it. In the end, how many jam games come on a cartridge?

A game for kids made by kids, big and small. This game delivers an audiovisual feast co-created with the tiny creators around Finland and focuses on fun and interaction. The game was inspired by the drawings of the kids and the team has done a good job in making as many as possible of the drawings come to life. Fittingly to the young players, game features a big collection of buttons to smash and one sweet crocodile that travels all around the globe. You can take your friends for a ride, just cruise around taking it easy and honking to passers-by. Krokoralli is a modern version of the 70/80s Turbo Tomy and makes us all smile!

Life has always been around. For centuries we as a human race have evolved, longed for something that is missing. We have conquered the lands, seas and even the air. Soon we will begin our next journey towards the vast unknown of the space. This atmospheric and poetic walking simulator captures universal moments in our fragile existence, now and in eternity. Crafting meaning through the imageries of the game scenes and choices of our internal voices, Alone Together delivers a thoughtful message with elegantly crafted scenes and stands out from the crowds of jam games.

The thrill of the chase. A rather creepy chase. A chase where the reversal of roles is a fact of life, if only through a simple poke to the back. This captivating yet simple jam game manages to take a yard game we have all played and turns it into an out of the ordinary experience with deeper layers. The Tag Game makes you wonder what is the meaning of “it” and how does “it” feel? The beauty of the game digs deep into the core of game jams and reminds us all how to jam with a quirky, fun-loving mind.

Special Awards

Elie AbrahamJamtivist Award

With a simple sign and a big heart, Elie Abraham has shown a great example of the spirit of game jams. Traveling around the world, leaving a mark of Finnish jammers, promoting positive jam cultures, and beating the unnecessity of impostor syndrome, Elie has shown us all how to jam with a bang. We don’t care if Guinness World record would not want to put your name into their books, Elie, we just want 2 give this award 4 you.

Arvi TeikariSuperjammer Award

Finland is a country of remarkable jammers, superjammers indeed. Through a humble attitude towards jamming and game creation, Arvi Teikari has taken game jams to the next level of normal. Arvi’s journey with Baba is You has shown what one can achieve through the playful and explorative space of game jams. From winning the Nordic Game Jam to the double-winning of IGF, there is no doubt that Superjammer is You, Arvi.

JambikeSpecial Jam Award

Samuli Jääskeläinen

Jonne Harja

Jonne and Samuli have taken game development and jamming to the extreme and done that while promoting green values for game development. Cycling over 600 kilometers is already an extraordinary accomplishment, but to also making a game while doing that – that’s the spirit! Jonne and Samuli have made it hard for the rest of us to try to top the game of game jams.

Outstanding Support Awards

Veikkaus

Futureplay

Grand Cru

Remedy Entertainment

Finnish Game Jam would not be able to do what we do without the long-standing support from the Finnish game studios. This year, we want to highlight our biggest supporters and say a big big thank you. Veikkaus, Futureplay, Grand Cru and Remedy do not only support the jammers with swag and pizza, but they also keep on jamming with us and have done that for a long time!

We cordially invite you to The Finnish Game Jam Awards on November 28, 2018 in Helsinki!

We have seen many incredible jams, jammers, and jam games this season, and again it is time to celebrate the creativity and daringness of the Finnish jamming community!

We are already in November, so it is only natural to make this our Christmas party as well! Christmas attires (especially hats) are strongly encouraged, but not mandatory. You will also get to meet Santa Claus, who is a great admirer of the game jam community and will make a special visit. Bring a small present if you wish to receive one!

The partyplace is Apollo Karaoke Bar on Mannerheimintie 16, right in the center of Helsinki.

Join the event by registering through Eventbrite here.You can find the Facebook event here.

In Museo game jam a diverse group of game developers and museum professionals came together to create games inspired by museum exhibition items. The jam was organized in collaboration of Finnish Game Jam Ry, Finnish Museum of Games and Stories to Games (Tarinat peliin) project as an effort to explore how non-game archive materials can be turned into games and installations.

The venue had an important role. The jam was held at the Museum center Vapriikki in Tampere, which hosts a diverse collection of museums, and is also the home of Finnish Museum of Games (Suomen Pelimuseo). Museum of Games holds an extensive archive of games, both digital and non-digital.

The archives and materials of Vapriikki worked as the main inspiration of the games. Researchers and other experts from several museums in Vapriikki presented the exhibition items that were curated for the jam. There was not a single set theme in the jam, instead the jammers used the presented items as their inspiration.

All of the games were open for public playtesting a day after the jamming ended.The jam attracted in total 32 jammers who created 8 games. You can download all the games for free from the jam’s Itch.io page.

Finnish Game Jam, The Finnish Museum of Games and Stories to Games project join forces to organize a jam that brings together game developers and museum experts. This endeavor is the first of it’s kind as The Finnish Museum of Games opens it’s archives for the participants to use and draw inspiration form. The jam is organized at the Museum Centre Vapriikki in Tampere, which is also the home of The Finnish Museum of Games.

On Friday after the jam all the games will be available for public to play in Vapriikki museums.

The Finnish Museum of Games showcases the Finnish gaming culture in a versatile manner and tells the story of how digital gaming in Finland started and developed over the years. In addition to digital games, the museum also talks about board games and role-playing games.

Tarinat peliin (Stories to Games) is a development project which aims at bringing museum professionals and game industry professionals together and creating games based on real stories. The project is executed by The Finnish Museums Association and Kajaani University of Applied Sciences. The project began on May 2017 and will last until December 2018.

Children were acting as both creators and the audience of games in the unique Pikku Kakkonen Game Jam. Kids had drawn and sent hundreds of game characters and their characteristics for the jammers, who got to select the drawings that inspired them and create games around them.

As suitable, the game jam was located in the Yle’s studio in Mediapolis, Tampere, from where the Pikku Kakkonen show is aired. The inspiring surroundings featured a life-size doll house and a visit from the famous and frightening Morso. On Sunday, a group of children arrived to the site as voice actors, and tested the games.

There were 23 jammers, who made in total 6 games during 48 hours. The game jam was organized by Finnish Game Jam and Finland’s national public broadcasting company Yle. See and download the games from the jam’s Itch page.

We’re jamming games for children in collaboration with the beloved children’s tv show Pikku Kakkonen!

Finnish Game Jam partners up with Finland’s national public broadcasting company Yle to organize a unique kind of game jam. This time it’s all about the kids! Not only are they the target audience, but creators as well: Yle ran a nationwide campaign to collect drawings from children to be used as the main inspiration for the games.

In addition, jamming will take place in the studio set of Pikku Kakkonen, located in Tohloppi district of Tampere.

For the third time in a row, Finnish Game Jam brought game jamming to the mobile game conference Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki. The Pocket Jam is run at the heart of the conference, where many bite sized mobile games and other games are born. This time the theme for the games was “Chain Reaction”, from which 10 games were completed. See them all from here!

The games that were finished and uploaded according to the deadline participated in a competition, where Pocket Gamer awarded three games and gave one honorary mention. Here are the awarded games: